Southern Reconstruction

‘63 we lost the South 
Our sacred cow, our noble cause 
Our heritage was ripped away,
Our way of life was sacrificed
To Lincoln's law, a wicked wedge
A power play for Blue and Gray

Years and years of grinding toil 
In blood and soil, our precious lives 
For God and kin, we gave our all
We scrimped and saved and taught our slaves
To tow the line, sink or swim
Run or crawl, to rise or fall

Now we've been scammed 
And I'll be damned
If we'll allow a colored man
To walk in here and take command
Of any inch of southern land
Our home, our space
Take away the colored race
We will never be replaced

All we want is freedom
We want freedom of our own
North is not our beacon
We can find our way alone
Kiss and call it even
Leave and we can let it go away then
We can all forget the crying
And the million dead or dying
Talk the owners into hiring
Bring the buyers back to buying
Get suppliers re-supplying
Market engines up and firing
Nothing sounds as gratifying

‘69 we'd seen enough
To call their bluff, the growing mass 
Of former slaves had gained control
Through legal fights and voting rights
New laws were passed, they came in waves
In fits and throes like body blows 

Now we aim to make it clear 
The law down here may seem insane 
Might hunt you down and hang you high
Remember jury and the judge
Are all the same for Black and Brown
Wrong or right, we're always White 

Now we've been scammed 
And I'll be damned
If we'll allow a colored man
To walk in here and take command
Of any inch of southern land
Our home, our space
Take away the colored race
We will never be replaced